


While Sugarplums Danced

by L_C_Darius



Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Holiday, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-11-17
Updated: 2011-11-17
Packaged: 2017-10-26 04:34:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/278739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/L_C_Darius/pseuds/L_C_Darius
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes, it's the little gifts that matter most.</p>
            </blockquote>





	While Sugarplums Danced

Beverly woke to pre-dawn light peeking through the curtains. She blinked sleepily before throwing back her side of the blankets and sliding out of bed. Wrapping her nightgown close around her, she went to the window and peered out.

It had snowed during the night, a fresh coating of white over the forest outside. She could feel the chill radiating off the glass. Ice crystals clung to the edges of the panes. Her breath fogged the view as she marveled at the hint of light preparing to creep over the tips of the trees.

She returned to the bed silently, not bothering to get back under the thick comforter but instead sitting down. One leg folded beneath her, she leaned over and prodded Jean-Luc’s chest. He snorted rather unceremoniously and opened his eyes blearily with a muffled, questioning sort of noise.

“It’s almost light out,” she said. Jean-Luc’s eyes slid to the window then back to her face. “You’re still sleeping.”

“I was. I’m not anymore.”

Beverly sighed. He was always so slow when she woke him up like this. She appreciated that the man in her life didn’t have the benefit of full lucidity upon waking, but did he really have to be so very befuddled?

“What I mean is, it’s Christmas morning and it’s almost light. No one’s woken you up yet.”

Now he frowned at her, a furrow of confusion deepening between his eyebrows. “Beverly you’ve just woken me up.” She fixed him with a pointed stare. “Oh, the children. They’re not still asleep, are they?”

“That’s what I’m wondering. I’m going to go check on them.” She got back to her feet and walked softly to the door.

“Did you want me to come with you?”

“No,” she replied. “I just wanted to let you know in case you woke up and I wasn’t here.”

“That makes no sense at all.”

Of course she knew that. She also had a suspicion that this might just be their lucky year. The children just might have gone to bed late enough and tired enough last night that they were still sleeping, even though it was Christmas. Wesley had been nearly a teenager before that had happened.

Beverly crept down the hall almost noiselessly then started down the stairs. She skipped the third from the top mostly out of habit: it squeaked. It had taken her nearly a month when she was thirteen to train herself to do it consistently so that Nana wouldn’t know when she snuck out of the house at night. And, once made, the habit which had held such importance for her adolescent survival wasn’t easily broken.

Halfway down the stairs, she stopped, ducking her head to see into the living room below. She smiled. Liesel and Wyatt were both asleep on the couch, blanket tucked snugly around them. The presents Jean-Luc had set out the night before lay untouched around the pine tree by the fireplace, at least for now.

Almost giddily, she made her way back up the stairs and into her and Jean-Luc’s bedroom.

“Well?” Jean-Luc asked, voice thick with sleepiness. He had hardly moved at all, simply tugged the comforter up a little higher.

“Sound asleep. I think we might have a couple more hours.”

“A Christmas miracle, who knew?”

She crawled back into her side of the bed and scooted up against Jean-Luc, head resting against his shoulder and slept again.


End file.
